East Timor Geography:
Location:
Southeastern Asia, northwest of Australia in the Lesser Sunda Islands at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago; note - East Timor includes the eastern half of the island of Timor, the Oecussi (Ambeno) region on the northwest portion of the island of Timor, and the islands of Pulau Atauro and Pulau Jaco
Geographic coordinates:
8 50 S, 125 55 E
Map references:
Area:
total:
15,007 sq km
land:
NA
water:
NA
Area - comparative:
Slightly larger than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
total: 228 km
border countries: NA
Coastline:
706 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: NA
territorial sea: NA
exclusive economic zone: NA
exclusive fishing zone: NA
Climate:
Tropical; hot, humid; distinct rainy and dry seasons
Terrain:
Mountainous
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Timor Sea, Savu Sea, and Banda Sea 2,963 m
highest point: Foho Tatamailau 3,018 m
Natural resources:
Gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble
Land use:
arable land: 4.71%
permanent crops: 0.67%
other: 94.62%
(2001)
Irrigated land:
1,065 sq km
Natural hazards:
Floods and landslides are common; earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones
Environment - current issues:
Widespread use of slash and burn agriculture has led to deforestation and soil erosion
Environment - international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA
note: NA
Geography - Note:
Timor comes from the Malay word for "East"; the island of Timor is part of the Malay Archipelago and is the largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands |
